A video has surfaced of CNN’s Chris Cuomo using profanity and threatening violence after an individual referred to him as “Fredo.”
The video, which surfaced Monday evening, shows the CNN anchor flipping out on an individual who referred to him as “Fredo” – a nickname popularized by Breitbart News’s John Nolte.
“No. Punk ass bitches on the right call me Fredo. My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN,” Cuomo said. “Fredo is from The Godfather. He was the weak brother.”
He continued, telling the man that “Fredo” is equivalent to the “N-word” to Italians.
The man reacted to Cuomo’s explosion, remarking, “You’re a much more reasonable guy in person than you seem to be on television.”
“If you want to play, then we’ll fucking play,” Cuomo shot back, hurling a series of insults at the man and referring to him as a “punk bitch.”
“You know my name is not fucking Fredo,” he continued, adding, “own what you said.”
“I’ll fucking ruin your shit,” Cuomo ranted. “I’ll fucking throw you down these stairs like a fucking punk.”
“Please do,” the man shot back.
“So you can fucking sue?” Cuomo continued, before daring the man to punch him:
Reactions were swift.
“I assume @cnn not available for comment,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted. “Imagine their coverage of this if they were a real news organization?”:
I assume @cnn not available for comment. Imagine their coverage of this if they were a real news organization? https://t.co/uH2biAkKUZ
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 13, 2019
More:
So @ChrisCuomo says that “Fredo”— a character on The Godfather— is the same as the n-word? Equating the two is the very definition of white privilege and diminishes the generations of hate African Americans have had to endure. https://t.co/vbwIAran9S
— Steven Cheung (@CaliforniaPanda) August 13, 2019
THIS. IS. CNN. @ChrisCuomo https://t.co/TrmMB5oOfs
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) August 13, 2019
I wonder if this kind of behavior would trigger a flag under a red flag law. He seems like an unstable and violent man. https://t.co/tHHwqZnLjX
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) August 13, 2019
Did @ChrisCuomo just say that “Fredo” is to Italians what the N word is to black people? Th N word is a dehumanizing word used against blacks who endured years of oppression. Fredo is a term from The Godfather, referring to the dumb brother. Equivocating the two is pure racism.
— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) August 13, 2019
Speaking of dumb brothers…. cc: @EricTrump
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) August 13, 2019
Well, it looks like @ChrisCuomo is now FREDO FOREVER AND EVER.
This is the caliber of person you put on your network, @cnn? https://t.co/aE62uv6vb4
— Nick Searcy, INTERNATIONAL FILM & TELEVISION STAR (@yesnicksearcy) August 13, 2019
The network did not respond to Breitbart News’s request for comment, but CNN’s Matt Dornic responded to the video on Twitter and indicated that the network “completely” supports Cuomo:
Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him.
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) August 13, 2019
He also took a shot at Trump sons Eric and Donald Jr.:
Speaking of dumb brothers…. cc: @EricTrump
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) August 13, 2019
Breitbart News has confirmed that the president has been made aware of the video.
Story cited here.
